


The fall

by ririsasy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29513379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ririsasy/pseuds/ririsasy
Summary: "I am sorry to startle you. I keep calling you, but you didn't respond,"Sam said softly in the dim light room, he sat beside Bucky who fixed his disheveled hair as he rose from his laying position,  the brown soft blanket that Sam gave him a few hours ago rolled down to his lap."Did I wake you up with my nightmare?"Bucky said apologetically, he had bothered Sam so much and bothered him even more by coming here unannounced, disturbing his supposed peaceful night. But he just can't bear the thought to be alone in his own apartment anymore, it felt like the ghost of his past was at every corner of his place.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	The fall

"Bucky are you okay?" Sam stood beside the sofa where a man known as the winter soldier slept in his living room on the big couch that he could turn into an emergency bed.

Bucky had came to his house around 9 p.m, apoligizing from showing up uninvited, he said he was just wandering around aimlessly and end up at his doorstep, his hair was dampened by sweat, Sam suspected about the possibility of him coming to his place by foot, whether he walk or run here, Sam didn't want to ask if the man didn't provide him with reason because it didn't matter to him, he's here now at his house. It would take him at least more than an hour by car, he wonder how many hours it takes for him to come here.

Sam had provided him with a towel so he could bathe because he knew he need one and heat up a soup for him to eat despite Bucky refusal to eat at the beginning, he eventually complied after Sam incessant nudge for him to at least to eat something for a peace of his mind and to make him look like a good host he had joked.

Bucky had ate in silent before he retreated to the couch to crash, settling on the sofa without too much of a conversation, completely exhausted, curling up into himself like he had run a marathon which Sam had assumed he did. 

Sam knew that Bucky was not much a conversationalist, he didn't like to just chit chat with him out of the blue, so he had left Bucky to rest and whatever things he might want to tell him, they could always do it tomorrow, he thought. 

Sam had remembered a few years ago when he befriended Steve Roger, the famous captain America was on the run and he had felt humbled and touched that the captain would choose his home as the sanctuary place for him and his friend to hide, that the legend himself had trusted him with his safety.

And now it feels a little bit like déjavu with the captain's bestfriend. He knew that he didn't have anyone except the captain and now that the captain is frail and old and sometimes even has trouble remembering who he is when he came to visit him at the nursing home.

Sam had left him to rest and retire to his own room for the night, it's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time that Bucky see his place as a safe space for him.

Bucky wakes up in a jolt when Sam touches his shoulder, almost elbowing Sam with his vibranium arm. 

"I am sorry to startle you. I keep calling you, but you didn't respond," Sam said softly in the dim light room, he sat beside Bucky who fixed his disheveled hair as he rose from his laying position, the brown soft blanket that Sam gave him a few hours ago rolled down to his lap.

"Did I wake you up with my nightmare?" Bucky said apologetically, he had bothered Sam so much and bothered him even more by coming here unannounced, disturbing his supposed peaceful night. But he just can't bear the thought to be alone in his own apartment anymore, it felt like the ghost of his past was at every corner of his place.

"No, don't worry about it, I was just having some water in the fridge," Sam assured him, putting his hand on his shoulder slowly, didn't want to make him uncomfortable by his touch. Bucky didn't flinch so Sam squeezed tighter on his shoulder. 

He sat there in silence, just watching Bucky's expression shift from one expression to the other, looking down at his hands, clasping together on his lap, he knew that he was processing and remembering the dream.

He was calling the captain name again and again in his sleep, shouting and crying for his name, so even without Bucky telling him the context of his dream, Sam was well aware of what his nightmare was all about.

"I am sorry to bother you like this Sam." Bucky apologize again after he put his mind in order, he turned his head to stare into the soulful eyes at his side, despite the little light in the room, he still can make out the warmness in this man's gaze, he is indeed a good man, and Steve really knows who to choose to be his friend and Bucky had been shamelessly clung to this man too because of his light and he just wants a little bit of his warm because everything feels so cold for his world.

"It's no bother, I told you to come to me anytime, we are friends, aren't we? I am not a stranger, Buck." Sam smiles at him and Bucky's heart tucked at the same nickname Steve used to call him, he tried to force his face to a stretch of small line too, hopefully it resembles a smile instead of a grimace. 

"It's still surreal to get used to being called a friend by someone else, not Steve." Bucky confessed melancholy, he looked down at his black and gold vibranium arm again, it's amazing how much he can feel his hand while also feeling really powerful and strong because of it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam finally pushed a little for Bucky to talk about his nightmare because he himself had mentioned the name of the man he was calling hysterically awhile ago in his sleep. Sam knows that sometimes it would help to ease the pain in someone's chest when the burden was shared to the people we could trust.

"It's an old dream. I used to have it frequently and it had stopped but recently came back to me again. It was when I fell from the train." Bucky decided to open up, the squeezing on his shoulder from Sam felt grounding and he was tired from running from his nightmare and figured that Sam owed him that much after letting him come and go as he pleases to his place.

Sam knows this story, the captain had told him about it a few times to him as well.

"When did it start again?" Sam softly asked again, he had listened to someone else's traumas before and had lent his ears to them and trying to understand them as best he could.

"With Thanos's snap, hydra and all the things that should fill my brain with nightmares, somehow this one was the scariest feeling and I keep falling." Bucky answered instead, he didn't know how to tell this part to sam.

"I see." Sam said shortly because he knows there is more that Bucky would like to say to him and he needs his time.

"I keep feeling bad about myself and I try really hard to be happy for his decision but I can't help but think if he didn't stay behind, we could have more time together. Now I can't barely talk to him without him forgetting about who I was in the middle of our conversation." he kept his head down, couldn't bear to look at Sam in the eyes, because this confession feels so personal and he feels like a pathetic man because of this feeling that accumulated inside of his chest to point it felt suffocating.

"I am sorry for everything, It's not in my capacity to change what inside of someone's else heart." He wanted to offer that words but decided otherwise and chose silent, hoping that Bucky could talk more, the silent stretch, and Sam takes a deep breath after processing the confession he just heard. 

He didn't press on, and Bucky didn't provide more, there's a lingering unspoken thing between them about Bucky's feeling and Sam can read it like an open book, it's a shame that the captain was really blind about it, he knew how much it hurt, those few minutes they stand in front of the time machine that Bruce Banner had built when they saw what the Captain had done with those mere minutes.

"I could stay with you if you wanted, we can watch some shitty tv shows so you don't have to go back to sleep, I can stay up all night. I don't have any place to go tomorrow." Sam said while reaching to the remote control and turn on the big screen in front of them.

Bucky didn't decline the offer; he really didn't want to go back to sleep and fell again in his dream. Sam settled his back to the sofa's arm, his strong shoulder pressed to Bucky's side and Bucky tried to relax himself too, he really appreciated the company. 

He could see more of Sam's face now that the screen illuminates more light to his handsome face and his bare shiny chest glistening from sweats, he pressed his back to the sofa and slouch down beside Sam, the static of the changing scenes in front of him, numbing him and distracting his mind, it's working.

Bucky didn't know how he had fallen back into his slumber, his head fell on Sam's shoulder and half of his back was pressed to Sam's broad chest. He vaguely makes out a strong arm securing around his shoulder and a warm from Sam's body heat dissipates through his shirt to his back.

Sam didn't move an inch when Bucky start falling asleep again, he knew that Bucky need some sort of solid safe net around him to ground him, and he will lend his shoulder always for his friend, he didn't mind when Bucky start to snuggle closer to his side, he figured that he will do even more than this if he could somehow find a way to make this man having a little bit of peace without the horror and the cruelty of the world he had lived following him even to his dream.

And the nightmare somehow really didn't dare to visit him with Sam's protective arms around him.

**Author's Note:**

> My first time writing for this couple. I hope you like it. Your feedback means the world to me 🥰


End file.
